John Pauls, Ed.D.

John Pauls is a resident of Jacksonville, Florida, and has worked in education in a variety of roles- including as a self-contained teacher for students with autism spectrum disorder, special education administrator, instructional technology district administrator, and currently as an instructional designer for a private university. John has extensive training and experience in the education of individuals with disabilities, specializing in autism spectrum disorder, instructional design, curriculum development, organizational leadership, and more. John has a 7-year-old son with autism who drives his passion and commitment to equitable learning opportunities. 

John received his BS in Organizational Leadership and MBA from Bethel University, and his EdS in Curriculum and Learning, Instructional Design & Technology from the University of West Florida. John is currently preparing to defend his doctoral dissertation in the same concentration from UWF, titled “Teachers’ Perceptions Using the Dick and Carey Instructional Design Model with Autism Evidence-Based Practices”. John has presented at a variety of conferences and has had the privilege of working with school districts around the country. 

John is currently an instructional designer for Jacksonville University, as well as a primary investigator and developer for a US DOE research grant looking at the impact of gamification on STEM performance for individuals with special needs.